Resource Library

Farm Bill Overview

The American Enterprise Institute’s “A Midterm Review of the 2014 Farm Bill.” Vincent H. Smith, 2016. This webinar provides an informative and thorough survey of the 2014 Farm Bill. It begins with short presentations from four panelists, focusing on a range of issues, including: the general economic health of farms and the need (or lack thereof) for subsidies, specific subsidy and crop insurance programs in the 2014 bill and their implications for various crop producers, and finally international trade and WTO compliance.
https://www.aei.org/publication/a-midterm-review-of-the-2014-farm-bill/

Susan A. Schneider’s Food, Farming, and Sustainability: Readings in Agricultural Law, Chapter 2, “Economic Support to Agriculture: The Federal Farm Programs, Federal Crop Insurance, and Disaster Assistance.” 2015. This book chapter provides a general overview of agricultural law, beginning with the history of federal farm programs but also including an analysis of the 2014 Farm Bill.
http://media.wix.com/ugd/ea7add_481f95a6c9364cbba2f2fcf37cc24b77.pdf

The Drake Journal of Agriculture Law’s “The 2014 Farm Bill: Lessons in Patience, Politics, and Persuasion.” Neil D Hamilton, 2014. This article discusses the legislative process behind passing a farm bill and some of the key points of contention in the 2014 debate.
http://aglawjournal.wordpress.drake.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/105/2016/09/agVol19No1-hamilton.pdf

The Congressional Research Service’s “What Is the Farm Bill?” Renée Johnson and Jim Monke, 2017. This report gives a detailed overview of the farm bill’s history, titles, and budget.
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS22131.pdf

The Congressional Research Service’s “The 2014 Farm Bill: Summary and Side-by-Side.” Ralph M. Chite, 2014. This report offers a detailed description of the budget and policy content of each title of the 2014 Farm Bill. It also provides a side-by-side comparison between the 2014 Farm Bill and the House and Senate bills that preceded it during negotiations.
http://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/R43076.pdf

The International Food Policy Research Institute’s “The US Agricultural Act of 2014: Overview and Analysis.” Carl Zulauf and David Orden, 2014. “This paper summarizes the evolutionary trends in US farm policy that have culminated in the 2014 farm bill, describes the new farm bill programs in depth, and highlights the key policy issues that arise and will play out over its planned five-year duration.”
http://ebrary.ifpri.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15738coll2/id/128802

AGree’s “New and Unique Provisions in the Agricultural Act of 2014.” Stephanie Mercier, 2014. This report offers a briefer analysis of the biggest changes in the 2014 Farm Bill.
http://www.foodandagpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Farm%20Bill%202014_Mercier.pdf

The Congressional Research Service’s “Previewing a 2018 Farm Bill.” Renée Johnson, 2017. This report discusses potential changes and issues of debate in the next farm bill.
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44784.pdf